1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an active encasement which can be installed or removed relatively easily over a mattress supported by a foundation or fixed or adjustable platform (hereinafter “foundation”) which also facilitates bed making and rotation of the mattress even in applications in which a bed skirt is installed over a foundation and can accommodate a relatively wide range of mattress sizes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Mattress encasements are used as a prophylactic cover over an entire mattress to protect the mattress from various situations, such as parasites and stains, for example, pet stains. Such encasements are also available for box springs. Examples of such encasements are disclosed in US Patent Application Publication Nos.: US 2012/0260426; US 2012/0255120; 2012/0192356; 2012/0167302; and 2011/00100856 as well as U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,087,111 and 8,156,588, all hereinafter incorporated by reference.
Some known encasements are made from a vinyl material. There are several problems with such vinyl encasements. One such problem is that they are uncomfortable. Another problem relates to cleaning them after being in contact with blood, urine or other matter. Such vinyl encasements cannot be laundered. In order to solve this problem, encasements made from launderable materials have been developed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,087,111 discloses an encasement formed from two layers; an inner layer and an outer layer. The outer layer is formed from cotton or other common encasement material or a material commonly used for mattress protectors, as well as bedding fabric, such as polyester or a polyester-cotton blend. The inner layer is formed as a waterproof membrane, for example, a polyurethane or other suitable waterproof coating.
Because of the need for laundering, some known encasements are formed with a zipper along one to three sides forming a pocket on one end for installation and removal for laundering. In order to launder the encasement, the mattress is normally flipped upside down so that the mattress top is in contact with the foundation and the dust cover is facing upwardly. Next, the mattress is slid off one end to enable the pocket to be slipped over one end of the mattress. The encasement is then slipped over the rest of the mattress. The mattress is again flipped over so that the dust cover is resting on the foundation and the comfort top is facing upwardly. The top layer of the encasement with the waterproof membrane is then zipped to the bottom layer to complete the installation. In order to remove an encasement, the zipper is unzipped along one or more sides and the mattress is lifted from the foundation to remove the encasement.
Mattresses are relatively heavy items. The weight of a mattress varies as a function of the coil core size, the gauge of the coil and the type of foam material used. An average king size mattress weighs between 85 and 115 pounds. High end king size mattresses with latex or memory foam can weigh as much as 300 pounds (http:/www.mattressdirectonline.com). As such, lifting the mattress to remove the encasement and flipping it over twice to install a clean encasement can be an extremely difficult task, especially in hotels and motels where multiple encasements must be changed in a single day.
Another problem relates to rotation of a mattress that is encased in an encasement. For one thing, the mattress handles are covered by the encasement making an encased mattress difficult to lift and rotate. The problem is especially acute if there is a bed skirt on the foundation. In that case, rotation of the mattress would move the bed skirt out of position, essentially requiring the mattress to be rotated by lifting the mattress and rotating the mattress while lifted relative to the foundation.
Another problem relates to the fact that there is no standard size for a mattress. Commonly available mattresses are normally 4″ to 18″ in depth. Some available mattresses are 20″ in depth or more. Although the length and width measurements of various mattresses are fairly standard, there are known differences in the lengths and the perimeters of the various mattresses. Although different encasement sizes are manufactured to accommodate the various mattress depths, known encasements do not address the differences in mattress and perimeter lengths. As such, the encasements, depending on the mattress size, do not always provide a snug fit relative to the mattress, which is highly undesirable from a housekeeping standpoint.
Another known problem relates to bed making. In particular, hotel and motel chains as well as healthcare facilities which include hospitals, nursing homes and extended care facilities (hereinafter “commercial facilities”) are known to encase their mattresses and box springs in encasements. Such commercial facilities are also known to only use flat sheets in their facilities due to the lower cost of flat sheets relative to fitted sheets and the desire to maintain fewer items in their respective inventories. As such, in order to properly make the beds in such facilities which utilize flat sheets, housekeeping personnel need to lift the mattress, which can be quite heavy, as discussed above. More particularly, in such facilities, beds are made with a top sheet and a bottom sheet and a blanket. Both the top sheet and the bottom sheets are flat sheets. In order to properly make the bed, the top and bottom sheets are tucked in between the top mattress and the box spring. More specifically, the bottom sheet is placed on the bed, so that an equal amount of the sheet hangs off each side of the bed and an equal amount of the sheet hangs off the head and foot regions of the bed. The excess is tucked in at the head and foot regions of the bed to form so called “hospital corners”. Next, the excess portions of the bottom sheet are tucked in between the mattress and the foundation. The top sheet is then placed on top of the bottom sheet and placed and tucked in the same manner as the bottom sheet with hospital style corners except the head region is left open. In other words, only the foot and side portions of the top sheet are tucked between the mattress and the box spring. Next, a blanket is placed on the bed and may be tucked in the same manner as the top sheet.
In order to tuck the top and bottom sheets between the mattress and the box spring, the top mattress must normally be lifted. As mentioned above, mattresses can weigh up to 300 pounds. In order to make a bed, a housekeeping employee may need to lift a mattress up to ten (10) times per bed. Assuming that each housekeeping employee in a hotel, motel or healthcare facility makes at least 15-30 beds in a single shift, each housekeeping employee would typically lift a mattress at least 150-300 times per shift. Since bed making is a daily chore, housekeeping employees probably lift mattresses 150-200 times per shift on a daily basis.
Such sustained and repetitive lifting may lead to employees developing various repetitive injury problems, resulting in employees missing work or, in severe cases, being placed on disability. Measures have been taken to mitigate such health problems. For example, simply using fitted sheets for the lower sheet reduces the number of times the mattress is to be lifted by an estimated 40%. However, fitted sheets do not allow for the bottom sheets to be made into “hospital corners” that hospitals are known for. Moreover, even using fitted sheets for the bottom sheet still requires a housekeeping employee to lift mattresses at least 90-160 times per day using the example above.
Moreover, the use of fitted sheets is not without its drawbacks. For example, fitted sheets cost more than flat sheets. In addition, fitted sheets increase the sheet inventory of hotels and motels since both fitted and flat sheets must be stocked. Also, frequent washing of sheets in commercial facilities tends to wear out the elastic in fitted sheets. As such, fitted sheets used in such facilities need to be replaced in applications in commercial facilities more frequently than straight sheets.
Thus, there is a need for an encasement that can easily be installed or removed for changing or laundering that facilitates bed making as well as rotation of a mattress to even out body impressions, even in applications which include a bed skirt and can accommodate a range of mattress sizes. There is also a need for further minimizing or eliminating the need for housekeeping employees to lift mattresses while tucking in unfitted flat sheets while still providing “hospital corners” on the made beds.